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George Washington really sucked at the whole war thing, and Arnold saved the US' ass quite a few times in the Revolutionary War.

When you look at pre-treachery Arnold, what you find is an almost comical beacon of good old-fashioned American virtue. After his mother died, he single-handedly supported his sister and suicidally alcoholic father; he enlisted to fight off a French invasion when he was 15; he grew up to be a successful capitalist and family man. If he'd fought a duel against somebody for using "Yankee" as an insult, he would've been the ultimate American. What, he did that? Never mind then.

Then there was his record during the revolution. He planned and led the famous siege of Fort Ticonderoga. Somewhere around here his wife died, but he soldiered on, masterminding the strategic invasion of Quebec, where he held position for weeks despite being cut off from the rest of the army and shot in the leg. He held back the British at Lake Champlain, he was instrumental in the Danbury raid, he was essential to the success of the Battle of Saratoga. If he fell off a bridge and died at this point, there would be a 50-foot tall statue of him in Connecticut, made of platinum and diamonds.

The army must have loved this guy, right? Surely by this stage he was being carried everywhere by a living throne of nubile young women. Wait, instead they repeatedly passed him over for promotion with younger, less experienced men? And other officers tried to take credit for his achievements? And he was investigated by congress on baseless accusations of corruption?

Basically, after all his bravery, sacrifice and bullet holes, America seemed to develop a great passion for kicking Arnold in the gut. It didn't help that at the same time they were creating an alliance with France, the bad guys from Arnold's teenage war adventures. Under those conditions, it's understandable that he'd quit the team.

People may have had more respect for him if, rather than being sneaky about it, he'd yelled "**** you all, I'm with England now" as he rode off giving everyone the rudest gesture of the times. It's the betrayal that irks people. But hey, America, you started it.

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I don't see anything wrong with celebrating Robert E. Lee. He's one of the greatest military figures in history. He's evil because he commanded the Confederate armies? That's childish perception. He went with Virginia because that was his home...that's pretty much the only reason he was part of the CSA.

You can call him a traitor, but he'd be more of a traitor to his home if he'd stayed with the Union.

He didn't even have anything to do with slavery... He was vehemently against it. People are ******* dumb.

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That's a bit of a stretch, tbh. Lee was a great general and is considered a war hero. It's not like Lee was solely responsible for the confederate secessionist movement and should be villianized for his involvement.

Not that I have much faith that states like Alabama and Arkansas would clebrate MLK Day, mind you. Hell, Alabama had legislation on the books until 2006 (iirc) that criminalized inter-racial marriage.

Also worth noting - Georgia & Mississippi also do this and Florida recognizes Lee's birtday, too.

The law, which hadn't been enforced for decades, was repealed in 2000. Alabama was the last state to have an inter-racial marriage ban law.

As for Florida, there is a Robert E. Lee High School in Jacksonville (66% black student body). They also have a high school named after Nathan B. Forrest, the first Grand Wizard of the KKK.

Originally posted by SolidGold

Bortlezzzzzzz

Originally posted by Monomach

Brilliant letting one of Scott Pioli's henchmen have his own team to ruin. One of the premier GM jobs in the NFL and it gets handed to a stupid **** who makes three facepalm moves for every good one. Awesome. Just like handing a new Mercedes to a 16 year old girl who's already been in three wrecks.

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For someone who can't math, that's a decent tip. 22% on the post-tax total. And nice banana hammock on the guy behind the dud covered in post-it notes.

Originally posted by SolidGold

Bortlezzzzzzz

Originally posted by Monomach

Brilliant letting one of Scott Pioli's henchmen have his own team to ruin. One of the premier GM jobs in the NFL and it gets handed to a stupid **** who makes three facepalm moves for every good one. Awesome. Just like handing a new Mercedes to a 16 year old girl who's already been in three wrecks.